1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of batteries, particularly fabricating dry cell storage batteries from a plurality of dry cells.
2. Prior Art
Dry cell storage batteries serve as the electric power source for driving toy vehicles, such as automobiles, jeeps, trucks, boats and airplanes, for example. Dry cell storage batteries, such as 9.0 volt dry cell storage batteries, for example, are fabricated by electrically connecting six (6), 1.5 volt electrolytic cells or dry cells, held in a battery pack, in series connection, using battery straps to connect opposite terminals of adjacent dry cells and connect the open positive and negative terminals as the power terminals of the battery pack. An electrolytic cell or dry cell is a complete battery, available on the open market in rechargeable and non-rechargeable form. Several dry cells may be put in a jig, forming and supporting a battery pack which defines a dry cell storage battery. This type of battery pack permits the use of non-rechargeable dry cells with removal and exchange of dry cells as the dry cells in the battery pack become drained of power. With the dry cell exchange arrangement, a relatively large quantity of dry cells need be keep on hand for rejuvenating the battery by substituting a good or charged dry cell for a drained dry cell as one or more of the cells in the battery expire. The expired dry cells are discarded. This is expensive and inconvenient. Also, the jig for supporting the battery pack must be very strong because the vehicle driven by the jig supported battery pack is often subjected to very rough and vigorous usage, especially when the driven toy vehicle is used in competition. Further, when used in competition there are weight and size limitation requirements of the battery pack so as to virtually eliminate the use of heavy and/or bulky material defining the jig for supporting the battery pack or dry cell storage battery. Because of these limitations, the preferred process for holding a plurality of dry cells together in a battery pack is by hot soldering the dry cells together using battery straps. The battery strap is hot soldered to terminals of adjacent dry cells in the battery pack, both physically and electrically coupling the dry cells together in a dry cell storage battery. Since hot soldering is a permanent connection, it is practical to use rechargeable dry cells as the basic source of power of the dry cell storage battery. A battery charger may be used for charging the dry cells of the dry cell storage battery when power, in the dry cells, is exhausted. Soldering the dry cells together, using battery straps to electrically connect and secure the rechargeable dry cells into a rechargeable battery unit is a good and reasonable solution for the need required by the driven toys. The dry cell battery, which is conveniently rechargeable, is compact in size, with securely held cells in a handy package. A battery charger is used to recharge the spent and discharged dry cells of the battery. Carrying around a supply of new dry cells is no longer required. Disposing of exhausted dry cells is no longer necessary. The rechargeable battery pack is charged, used and drained of power, recharged and used again and recharged again.
Soldering is conventionally done, using a hot soldering process. The tools may include a soldering iron which may be a flame heated iron or an electrically heated iron, or a soldering torch, an open flame. During the process of conventional soldering, heat is generated in and/or retained by the soldering apparatus and the heat is applied or transferred to the pieces being soldered together and the solder itself. During the soldering process, using conventional soldering apparatus, the amount of heat generated by the soldering apparatus is substantially in excess of the heat actually needed to fabricate a good solder joint or connection. This is because heat must be generated and/or carried by a carrier, a soldering iron, for example, and transferred from the heat carrier to the pieces or units to be soldered together and to the solder, which is to liquify and join the units. Some heat is lost in the act of heat transfer. More heat, errant heat, is lost in the mass of material adjacent the joint to be soldered. Errant heat is a problem when soldering a dry cell to fabricate and/or enhance a dry storage battery. It is well known that heat is an enemy of a dry cell. Heat changes dry cell chemical characteristics, reducing dry cell longevity and therefore battery longevity.
Preferably, soldering is accomplished without minimizing nor maximizing the heat used for the soldering process, while accomplishing the soldering process in the shortest possible time duration, and obtaining a good solder connection. Another factor that may be considered is limiting the area heated during the soldering process, as much as possible to the absolute area or joint being soldered. One way to limit the area heated during the soldering process is to induce or generate the heat used for soldering in the elements of the joint to be soldered and the solder, itself. One way of generating soldering heat within the mass of a joint to be soldered is by using a microwave induction heating process. In a microwave induction heating process, microwave energy is directed or applied to a coil and the joint or area to be soldered is inserted into the coil. Microwave energy passed through the coil induces or generates heat in the conductive material within the coil. This is the subject of a pending patent application of the applicant herein. The pending patent application identified by the Ser. No. 10/657,077, and filed Sep. 09, 2003 is titled Apparatus And Method For Fabricating Dry Cells into Batteries Using RF Induction Heating. While in many cases microwave induction heat soldering provides a good solder joint, it is difficult to limit the area heated by microwave induction heating apparatus to the junction of the joint to be soldered. In addition, microwave induction heat soldering apparatus is expensive and limited in use.
Some issued United States patents of interest include:
4,186,246to SugalskiJan. 29, 1980;4,262,414to SugalskiApr. 21, 1981;4,306,355to Hawrylo et alDec. 22, 1981;4,501,943to LundFeb. 26, 1985;4,523,068to Lund et alJun. 11, 1985;4,642,442to Mullane et alFeb. 10, 1987;4,661,668to Mullane et alApr. 28, 1987;5,202,198to Mix et alApr. 13, 1993;5,776,207to Tsuchida et alJul. 07, 1998;5,834,743to Lund et alNov. 10, 1998;5,836,371to Kump et alNov. 17, 1998;5,886,325to LundMar. 23, 1999;6,010,800to Stadnick et alJan. 04, 2000.
Although the above U.S. issued patents mention and relate to electric storage batteries and cells, the batteries of interest in the above patents are limited to lead-acid batteries and the cells referred to are sheets of lead contained in a battery housing. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,091, issued to Pierson et al Jul. 24, 2001 teaches a modular electric storage battery, with substitution or exchange of individual batteries within the modular unit that may be used as a starting, lighting and ignition battery, preferably on motorcycles but on other motor vehicles also. The modular electric storage battery is proposed as a substitute for a lead-acid battery, normally used in motor vehicles.